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Elton John -

Pop music icon Elton John started teaching himself piano at age three.

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Kurt Cobain - Nirvana front man and songwriter Kurt Cobain taught himself to play acoustic guitar and bass guitar.

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David Bowie -

One of the most versatile and iconic musicians of the 20th century, David Bowie taught himself how to play several instruments, including piano, guitar, harmonica, bass, and percussion.

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Bruce Springsteen -

Bruce Springsteen taught himself multiple instruments, including guitar and piano.

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The Beatles -

All four of the Beatles had no formal training in music. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr taught themselves how to play their instruments, collectively going on to become the most successful band of all time.

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Eric Clapton -

Blues guitar-playing legend Eric Clapton was given his first guitar by his grandfather. He began teaching himself two years later by listening to old blues songs and mimicking what they were playing.

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Joni Mitchell -

Joni Mitchell taught herself guitar in her childhood. She quickly began playing in alternate tunings, as it was easier for her to form chords this way due to her hands being weakened from childhood polio.

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B.B. King -

American blues guitar legend B.B. King was entirely self-taught.

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Dave Grohl - Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl taught himself drums and guitar. He had one lesson in drums but concluded that he would be better off teaching himself.

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Louis Armstrong -

Jazz icon Louis Armstrong taught himself trumpet as a child.

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Shawn Mendes -

Pop star Shawn Mendes learned how to play guitar with YouTube instructional videos, teaching himself to play his favorite songs.

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John Mayer - John Mayer taught himself how to play guitar by watching his favorite guitarists and mimicking what they were doing.

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Jack White -

The White Stripes’ guitarist Jack White taught himself guitar, bass, keys, and drums. He started by picking up and learning the instruments that his older siblings tossed aside.

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Frank Zappa -

Frank Zappa was a musical prodigy, teaching himself how to play guitar and several other instruments as a child.

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Noel Gallagher -

Noel Gallagher of Oasis taught himself to play guitar in his bedroom at age 13 when he was on probation for stealing from a corner shop.

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Keith Moon -

Keith Moon, the bombastic drummer of the Who, tried getting lessons in the beginning before he decided to teach himself instead.

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Richard Wright -

Co-founder and guitarist of Pink Floyd, Richard Wright reportedly taught himself how to play guitar.

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Dizzy Gillespie -

Dizzy Gillespie had piano lessons when he was a child, but taught himself trombone and trumpet, the instruments he’s more known for playing, at age 14.

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Jimi Hendrix -

Jimi Hendrix taught himself to play guitar at a very young age. He began learning to play on a ukulele, which had one string.

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Eminem -

Eminem honed his craft of rapping through hours of practice, and even read the dictionary to expand his vocabulary.

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Michael Jackson -

Michael Jackson taught himself everything he knew. He did have his voice trained in later years (after the Jackson 5), but it was more for maintaining his voice than learning how to sing.

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Stevie Ray Vaughan -

Stevie Ray Vaughan taught himself how to play guitar. He did have the opportunity to learn music theory in school, but flunked out of the classes.

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Patrick Carney -

The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney taught himself to play the drums when he founded the band with Dan Auerbach.

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Anna Calvi -

Anna Calvi taught herself how to play guitar by listening to and playing along with Jimi Hendrix and Django Reinhardt. She also became very interested in making the guitar sound like other instruments as a teenager, which she thinks played a massive hand in developing her unique playing style.

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The 1975 -

Members of The 1975 taught themselves their instruments by covering songs together when they started the band.

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Bill Ward -

Bill Ward, drummer of the mighty Black Sabbath, taught himself how to play drums without any lessons.

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Paul Gray -

Slipknot co-founder and bassist Paul Gray always insisted that he was wholly self-taught and never had any lessons.

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Alex Turner -

Arctic Monkeys lead singer and songwriter Alex Turner taught himself how to play guitar when they started the band.

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Matt Helders - Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders taught himself drums to play in the band by listening to and playing with hip-hop and rap music.

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Thelonious Monk -

Thelonious Monk, who is considered one of the most legendary jazz pianists of all time, began teaching himself piano at the tender age of six.

Sources: (JoyTunes)(Gigwise)

See also: Who are the most influential jazz artists of all time?

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